Reshad Jones – September 18, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 18, 2016
Postgame – at New England
Miami Dolphins S Reshad Jones (transcribed by the New England Patriots)
(On the game) – “We just kept fighting and we were fighting against a good football team in their home. We just put our head down and kept fighting. We didn’t quit. This team [the Patriots] could put 50 points on you any time they get a chance. We were down 24-0, it shows the kind of guys we have in this locker room. They made plays and you have to give credit to them. They ran their offense and they made plays. We didn’t make enough plays early on and it took us until the third quarter to wake up.”
(On why the Dolphins struggle in New England but play the Patriots well in Miami) – “I’m not sure. I think the Patriots are one of the better teams when they are playing at home. There is no magic to it, they have done a great job. They did enough to win this game and we didn’t make enough plays to win.”
Kenyan Drake – September 18, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 18, 2016
Postgame – at New England
Miami Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake (transcribed by the New England Patriots)
(On scoring his first NFL touchdown) – “It was pretty exhilarating. I was trying to do everything I could to help the team win. Unfortunately, we were not able to come out on top this time but we can only improve from this point. ”
(On what he was told before today’s game) – “I wasn’t told anything. I just have the same mentality regardless of whatever the case may be. I just try to go out on the field throughout the week and give my best effort on practice and when my number is called in the game I just go out and make the most of my opportunity.”
(On what he proved) – “I know as a team we proved that we can go out play with the best, no matter what the deficit was. I know there is a lot of stuff we can improve on throughout this process. The last two weeks have been some tough losses, we are just going to come out next week and try and get another win.”
(On the Miami Dolphins offense playing better in the second half) – “We were not able to convert on third down. We probably only converted one time in the first half and we put our defense in not very good situations. The second half we came out and were a lot more efficient and run the ball, pass the ball and show that when we can be an efficient offense, we can be a successful team. We just have to start better.”
Jordan Cameron – September 18, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 18, 2016
Postgame – at New England
Miami Dolphins TE Jordan Cameron (transcribed by the New England Patriots)
(On the slow start) – “I don’t know, we have to look at the film and see what the deal is. We have to find a way to come out and keep the defense off the field. It’s hard for them when we go three and out and they have to keep going out there.”
(On Ryan Tannehill’s performance) – “He was awesome. He definitely had control in the huddle, he was making plays and we were moving fast and got the ball rolling. You got to see what we are capable of doing in the second half.”
(On what the message was after being down 31 to 3) – “Keep going. I mean I’ve never understood why people talk about giving up or quitting. No one has that in their body or their system on this team. We are going to keep playing; we have fighters on this group, in this room and on this team. We are proving that we are never going to just lay down. We just have to get it going earlier.”
Kiko Alonso – September 18, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 18, 2016
Postgame – at New England
Miami Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso (transcribed by the New England Patriots)
(On the hit to Jimmy Garoppolo) – “He came out of the pocket and I got out there and he just landed on his shoulder.”
(On the mindset of playing against a rookie quarterback) – “We figured they were going to run the ball, just like they did. That last drive we have to get off the field.”
(On whether the performance on defense was good enough) – “No. How many points did we give up? Thirty one is too many points. That last drive we have to get off the field. Luckily they missed the field goal but we used up all of our time outs. We just have to get them off the field.”
Jay Ajayi – September 18, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 18, 2016
Postgame – at New England
Miami Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi (transcribed by the New England Patriots)
(On his performance and being ready to play) – “Besides the fumble, I think I did pretty well. I was just prepared to play no matter what. I was just ready to hear what happened on the sidelines and when they call my number, be ready.”
(On the fumble) – “Just have to hold on to the ball, just a mistake.”
(On getting more playing time) – “It is the next man up mentality, whoever is on the field is going to play. You just have to play to best of your ability.”
(On the Miami Dolphins offense playing better in the second half) – “I think we just got in a rhythm and the first initial first down and were just able to keep our offense on the field and make plays. We started slow in the first half and the second half we got it going. We were able to showcase the kind of offense we can be. I still think the sky is the limit for we can do.”
Isa Abdul-Quddus – September 18, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 18, 2016
Postgame – at New England
Miami Dolphins S Isa Abdul-Quddus (transcribed by the New England Patriots)
(On defense in the first half) – “We had some miss fits, they capitalized on our mistakes. It wasn’t one person or one play every time. They just found our weaknesses and capitalized on them.”
(On trying to come back) – “You just have to take it one play at a time, you can’t think about the scoreboard anymore, you just have to put your head down and play football.”
(On the team’s mindset when Jimmy Garoppolo went down) – “We knew they would get more basic, it was just about keeping our fits and fitting everything up right. They still made plays I can’t say it was defeating. We tried to stop the run and they just made plays.”
Adam Gase – September 16, 2016
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Friday, September 16, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On whether DE Mario Williams is out of the concussion protocol) – “No, he’s not. He’s on whatever the next step is right now. Being able to get out there and do some stuff was the next step. We haven’t officially been told, ‘He has completed every step, as far as being able to play in this game.’ I’ll find out more once I get back in the building (following the press conference).”
(On RB Jay Ajayi) – “I think he has been really good. He has been really engaged in meetings. I know he has done a great job. I know (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi brought it up to me that he has done a great job in special teams meetings. He has done a very good job at practice. We’re heading in the right direction in that area.”
(On whether RB Jay Ajayi will be available on Sunday) – “We haven’t made any final decisions yet, right now. We’ll have a better idea as far as exactly what we’re going to do Saturday night.”
(On having to address questions publicly about his coaching decisions as a first time head coach) – “I think it’s more times than not when (the media) ask me a question, I answer it for the most part. Some of the stuff that has come out as far as what happened with Jay (Ajayi), … When you go on the road, you have to declare guys out and say why they’re not there or why they didn’t make the trip. It is what it is. You’re not going to hide anything. I just don’t see the point of beating around the bush.”
(On if he tries to treat everybody the same or differently) – “I think our coaching staff tries to treat everybody the same. We have a certain way we want to go about our business. (There is) a pretty high percentage (of) guys (that) try to do that right thing. That’s our biggest thing. We don’t have a lot of rules. Our biggest thing is (to) make sure that you give us full effort during practice and on game day. Basically, just make sure you’re where you’re supposed to be at the right time. That’s all we’re really concerned about, and when we’re in this building give us the full attention. That’s all we’re asking for. We’re not here for a long time. There are not a lot of hours spent in the building, so I don’t think what we’re asking for is too much.”
(On RB Arian Foster getting most of the carries last week and if he looks for that continue) – “There were a couple of times where we were trying to get Damien (Williams) in there. We were supposed to do it on the series that we actually got the turnover and (Foster) ran onto the field. I think he felt like he could kind of feel the flow of the game. When you get an experienced guy that understands the flow of the game and he kind of saw that we were struggling a little bit and we weren’t getting first downs, I think he felt like, ‘Maybe I can contribute to getting that first, first down, and then we can get rolling.’ I think on one of the series – that last one where we got going – he basically kind of got himself out of there at the end and that’s how Damien ended up on that screen. We got rolling and I think he felt like, ‘Okay, we’re in good shape here so Damien can get a couple of snaps in there,’ and then (Foster) would be able to come back in. So I think he kind of felt the tempo of the game and felt responsible as far as, ‘I need to be in there to make sure if that number is called, that I can do something positive to try to get this thing going for us.’”
(On if he is encouraged about Sunday with WR DeVante Parker) – “It’s going to be … like, after practice today, we have to see where he’s at; and then tomorrow we’ll see where he is at in the morning, and then we’ll go through our walkthrough and we’ll see where he is at. When he gets off the plane, we have to see where he is at. It just changes so much when you have any kind of soft-tissue deal to where you almost have to wait until game day to make that decision.”
(On if he has any relationship with Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and if he has ever met him) – “I met him one time. I saw him and Mike Lombardi at the Combine. That was the only time I’ve ever met him.”
(On if that meeting with Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was recent) – “I think it was a couple of years ago.”
Adam Gase – September 15, 2016
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Thursday, September 15, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On the update on WR DeVante Parker) – “It’s going to have to be the whole week. We’re going to have to see him go through a full week of practice, see how he feels on Saturday. And then we’re probably going to triple-check this whole deal if he makes it through the week and on Sunday, just make sure we work him out before the game and make sure we don’t have any issues. If he feels good, then we’ll have the chance to go. If there’s something that’s lingering there, then we’ll have a different guy up.”
(On who picks up the snaps and slack there if DE Mario Williams does not play on Sunday) – “It’s just going to have to be a group effort. We’re going to have to have some plans in place as far as how we’re going to rotate and how many plays we’re going to expect from each guy. I think last week, when you lose two guys on the defensive line, it kind of throws everything off a little bit because you have a plan going in and you have that contingency plan; but I think what happened was it just was a little more than what we thought. Obviously if the offense, if we stay on the field a little more, they wouldn’t have had 80-plus snaps in that game. So that kind of threw a little wrench in the plan there. We’ll have a good plan in place as far as how we’re going to rotate those guys.”
(On DE Cameron Wake’s snap count) – “I think when you start getting in that 50 range, 50-plus range, that’s probably where we want to avoid that, for the most part. Hopefully, once again, if we do a better job of staying on the field for those guys, hopefully we can keep it between 50 and 60 total plays as far as the defense goes. When we put them in the situation that we did last week, it kind of put a lot of guys in a bad position. If we can keep him on the lower end of that and keep him fresh, we think that’s going to help through the duration of the season. That’s what we’re looking to do.”
(On what type of role can he see RB Isaiah Pead playing once he’s fully healthy) – “He did a really good job on special teams. Just that value right there is important. I think we’re trying to find as many guys that can contribute in that area. We want to make sure that’s one of our strongest parts of our team. His ability to be able play multiple phases is obviously good for us. Anytime you’ve got running backs that can go into that role and fill in for some of the linebacker spots, that’s always helpful, especially with a guy with his type of speed and the physical-ness that he plays with. But at the same time, offensively we like him as a back. We like him when he has the ball in his hand. We feel like he makes a lot of plays and he’s able to protect and he’s able to catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s one of those guys that have a great skill set for what we do on offense and the special teams is very valuable. We’ve just got to keep getting through this week and see what we’re going to do.”
(On if setting up the run by passing is an approach he has used often) – “Yes. I think that’s probably been more my approach in the past than the other way around. I know last year was a little different for us. We kind of flip-flopped that. So it’s really about what are the players that you have (and) what are you trying to do as an overall team? Every week’s different. Like this week, it might be different than last week, and the week after that could be different than whatever we do this week. Our philosophy is we like to throw the ball. We like the skill guys that we have. We feel like a lot of the stuff that, when we get the ball in Jarvis’ (Landry) hand, he makes some plays. A lot of those throws are shorter throws that it’s almost like a run. The only difference is it’s a tally for an attempt instead of a carry. We feel like a lot of the throws that we do make are safe. We’re not really putting ourselves in position to where it could be any kind of turnover. It’s really kind of balancing out the run game.”
(On if he needs a third quarterback this week) – “We have a plan. We had one last week. I don’t have to tell you guys that one. But, I mean we’ve been working on it since training camp. You guys just didn’t notice.” (Laughter)
(On whether the team thinks about 2008 being the last time Miami won in New England) – “I think a lot of these guys are more focused on what’s going on now. I do remember that game though, because that was the ‘Wildcat’ game. I was in San Francisco, and we played New England the next week. So, I remember that very well.”
(On whether San Francisco incorporated the Wildcat offense into their game against New England in 2008) – “We had a little bit in there, but it was one of those things that (Mike) Martz had when he was in St. Louis – he’d do it with Marshall (Faulk) every once in a while – but it wasn’t zone-read stuff. It was really direct-snap stuff. I do remember that game. I know we were worried about (how) they might do it to us, because Matt Cassel was playing. We didn’t know if they’d incorporate some of that into their offense, because they were very flexible, and they did a lot of different things that year.”
(On his reaction at the time to seeing the ‘Wildcat’ for the first time) – “I think my biggest thought was the fact that it had been like eight years since they lost back-to-back games. We knew they were going to bring their A-game, for sure.”
(On whether WR Jarvis Landry will continue to field punts close to Miami’s goal line) – “I think every week we’re going to have a little different plan as far as going into the game (with) what we want to do, where we’re playing (and) what the situation is. We feel great about him anytime he goes back there. We feel like he can make a play. We feel like he’s going to make the right decision. That’s not taking anything away from Jakeem (Grant), but anytime we can get the ball in Jarvis’ hands – whether it be running the ball, passing the ball, punt return, kick return – we feel good about it. (It’s the) same thing with Jakeem. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a legitimate threat. We felt like for that game, that was a good situation for us to put him back there.”
(On the decision to have WR Jarvis Landry return punts) – “He has really been on us more than anything. He didn’t like he didn’t do anything in the preseason. He kept begging ‘Rizz’ (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi) to go back there. We felt like we were doing a good job in practice. He was getting his reps that he needed to get. We didn’t really need to see him do it live.”
(On whether the Patriots having the ability to move receivers around presents challenges) – “It does, because they can move them around. We keep seeing different guys. It’s not like you’ve got the same guy in the same spot all the time where, if you are the nickel defender, you get used to how this guy releases, the routes he runs, maybe the patterns that they’re trying to go to him in certain big situations. But when you have guys that can play inside and outside, and they all know the offense really well, and they move everybody around, and you’re constantly getting a different guy, it makes it tough on the defense, especially whoever is playing inside. You have to be on it. You have to make sure that you understand, ‘What does this guy do well?’ Every time you go in there and a different guy keeps showing up, you have to really retrain your mind (to think) of, ‘Okay, this what I have to worry about with this player.’ That’s what makes them hard to defend. They all have very good knowledge of the offense, and (New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is) able to move all these guys around, because of that. On defense, you have to be on it. You better understand who you’re going against each time, and you’ve got to make adjustments.”
(On CB Bobby McCain bouncing back from last week’s game) – “That’s part of playing in this league. There’s going to be good plays; there’s going to be bad plays. The professionals bounce back. You go back to work on Wednesday and you figure out a way to clean up whatever happened to you on Sunday. That’s why it’s a long season. You can’t focus on what happened last week. You got to move on to the next one and be prepared, and next time your number is called, you make a play.”
(On Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick’s consistency as a head coach) – “Anytime you can win the division as much as he has – like you said in an age where there’s a lot of players transitioning and he has been there long enough to where, not only that, it has been retirements and bringing in new groups of draft classes and getting a free agent here and there as far as some of the bigger names, there haven’t been a ton of them but every once in a while, you’ll have a guy there a year or two, like (Darrelle) Revis going there and (Brandon) Browner the one year when they won the Super Bowl – it’s an impressive thing to do considering all the moving parts you have all around the league, whether it be coaches, front office, players. To be able to be consistent like that … (In) my short time in the NFL, it just seems like they’ve always been at the top since I’ve been in the league. That’s the challenge we have here is going up there and understanding to win against a team like that, we have to play very well. We have to play smart. We have to understand that they’re not going to give us anything. We have to go up there and figure out a way to put ourselves in position in the fourth quarter to give ourselves a chance to win.”
(On what he has seen from WR Justin Hunter and if he is ready to contribute on offense) – “Yes, if we get the right situation and he happens to be up. I think he is more ready than he was last week. It was a very quick transition for him. I think he has a better feel as far as what we’re doing on offense and terminology and things like that. Some of it is close to what he was doing in Tennessee, so that helps him a lot. And like I said before, Shawn (Jefferson) being his coach before (in Tennessee), he can translate a few things. He seems like when he goes in there in practice, he knows what to do. I don’t see him making a lot of mistakes. We’ve just got to keep getting him in there.”
(On the most impressive thing he saw from his safeties in Week 1) – “I think the fact that they tackled so well is really good for us because they’re limiting explosive plays. If a guy breaks through into the secondary, they get him down. Obviously, Reshad (Jones) does more than that. He really makes sure that they know that he’s there when he ends up making a tackle. The fact that both of those guys are around the ball so much and they cover up any kind of holes we have. They can really move from side to side and track the ball and actually finish the play. There’s a lot of guys out there that will be in position to make the play and they don’t. These two guys seem to make that play. I’ve seen it a lot in practice and then when you see it translate to the game, that’s very encouraging for us.”
(On if you can build out more for the safeties from what you saw in Week 1) – “I’m sure. The longer we go, the more we’re going to be able to kind of experiment with certain things. Right now, we’re so early in the season. We’re in Week 2. We’ve got a tough opponent we’re going against right here. You can’t just start changing everything up. We’re still in that stage of, ‘How are guys going to react in games? What can we get away with? What can’t we? Who is going to play up front? How long can they hold onto the ball?’ There’s a lot of things that go into the thought process of game-planning and seeing how much you actually can do with different kinds of positions.”
(On divisional games and the Jets playing the Bills tonight) – “We focus on what we have to do. One of the things on the offensive side, there were enough mistakes that we did for ourselves. It wasn’t about what they did. We have to clean some things up on that side of the ball. Special teams, (it’s) the same thing. In talking with (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi, we had a long conversation that was the same thing. We were saying that we need to clean up the little details that we didn’t do right during the game. (On) defense, they’re just trying to build upon that performance as far as that was why they had success. They executed the plan that they had in place and the problem was that we left them on the field too long. We didn’t help them out in any of the other phases and it was almost like they were on their own. They did a good job. They set the tone for the team as far as, ‘We did it the right way. We made it hard and we executed (Defensive Coordinator Vance (Joseph)’s plan,’ and they had a good result. The other two phases, we have to follow in line on that.”
(On WR Justin Hunter’s athletic ability and if he’s still transitioning into being a wide receiver) – “I guess I don’t know enough about his past as far as what he’s looked like before. He looks smooth to me as a route runner. Any time I see him go up for a ball, it’s been impressive. The length and his ability to jump have been very impressive. When you get a new guy on the team and you’ve only been around him for 10 to 12 days, it’s hard to make a full evaluation on a guy.”
